Sweet Caroline
by BelladonnaFlames
Summary: Puck chuckled and grabbed the block of cheese of the counter, he knelt down and held it out, trying to keep the laughter out of his voice. "Berry, I know this is cheese-y, but will you marry me?" *cue eye roll and dramatics* Puckleberry. Futurefic.
1. Prologue: Upside Down

**A/N: Well, here I am, writing a multi-chapter, Glee futurefic. This was not what I was expecting. I found I could write Puck a little bit better than I thought, though maybe not quite as perverted as everyone else thinks of him as. But anyhow, I'm giving this a go. I hope you enjoy. So without further ado, I give you 'By Your Side', a Puckleberry fanfiction.**

Prologue: Upside Down

New York, New York. 12:30 PM

Puck shouldered his black duffle bag and grabbed his guitar case off the luggage belt and turned toward the exit doors without so much as a glance backwards. He didn't know what he was doing in New York; it may have been the fact that Finn had told him to come out and visit, it may have been the fact that at twenty-two, it was time to leave Lima and get serious about his life, and hopefully his music. The man smiled, a little wistfully; Finn didn't know he was here, Puck still felt some sick jealousy at the fact that his friend had stolen both his girls, and currently was dating the girl that Puck hadn't stopped thinking of since they had all graduated from McKinley. Damn Finn and damn Rachel Berry. Why did the two have to end up being the sickeningly sweet 'leading couple'? Puck had thought he was going to kill someone when the Jesse St. James incident had happened, and now he was so angry at his best friend for stealing away the best thing that had ever happened to him. The man shook his head, removing the thoughts, and ran a hand over his shaved head. The Mohawk had grown old, so he preferred to keep his hair very short.

As Puck walked out of the airport, he could almost hear New Directions and their rendition of 'Don't Stop Believing' and suddenly he realized that it would be okay, he knew he was supposed to be in New York. He expelled a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding, and held out his arm to flag down a taxi. The bright yellow car pulled to the side of the road and the cabbie got out, pulling open the trunk. Puck loaded his stuff in the back and got into the car, somewhat shocked by the noise of the city.

"I'm going to Times Square please," He said with a smile. He leaned his head back and made a pact with himself not to worry. His mom had given him her blessing, and now he was home free. It was time to find a girl, time to sing, time to make his future come true. He watched out the window, the lights and cars and people all flashing by him. It was like he was in a dream. He was turned upside down. He was so used to small town Lima, this place was like culture shock. Not in a bad way of course, but it was change. And change was just what Noah Puckerman needed.


	2. Stuttering

Stuttering

Rachel and Finn, 12:00 PM, August 15th

"Rachel, I just…don't like this apartment," Finn said, frowning and running a hand through his brown hair.

"What do you mean you don't like it?" Rachel snapped, spinning on her heel to face her fiancé.

"This apartment is heaven, it's perfect, it's exactly what I've been looking for," She said, twirling around.

The apartment itself was stunning. It was technically a penthouse suite, going for a dirt-cheap rate because it wasn't getting any renters, even though it was beautiful. The floors were hardwood, the kitchen tiled in marble. The ceilings were vaulted and there were two rooms, a master bedroom with a large closet and a smaller bedroom with a smaller closet. The walls were painted cream, and the large windows filled the living room with light. A large crystal chandelier hung from the ceiling.

"Rach, maybe you should move in here on your own," Finn said, sticking his hands in the pockets of his jeans uncomfortably.

"What do you mean Finn," Rachel squawked, turning once again to face him.

"Well, I can't afford this…and I mean, really, what's the point of us moving in to such a huge house, it's not like either of us are really wanting children right now," He said with a shrug.

"Finn, you're the fiancé of a Broadway star. I can afford this. I want this," She said, biting her lip and narrowing her dark eyes.

"Maybe this isn't going to work," Finn said, tilting his head to the floor, his eye fixed on a spot of dust.

"What do you mean, us moving in together? You're right, where would I EVER get the idea that you would be committed enough to move into an apartment. In fact, if you can't even commit to live in an apartment with me, can you even commit to marrying me, or staying faithful to me?" Rachel said, her voice steady and cold.

"Rach, that's not what I mean and you know it," Finn pleaded.

"Well what do you mean then?"

"I don't know, I mean this is a big place. And a big step. And I don't know if I can handle this," Finn said, wincing.

"So you basically just rehashed what I said, except you shortened it," Rachel snapped. She grasped her ring finger and wiggled her engagement ring off her finger. The diamond caught the light as she threw it at Finn. It bounced off his chest and fell to the floor with a tiny clink.

"Let me know when you're ready to be committed. But don't expect me to wait around for you. I'm so tired of your indecisiveness. You piss me off so bad! I'm done with this."

"I slept with Roxanna." Finn said flatly.

"Oh, so not only can you not commit to moving in, or our engagement, you also can't commit to a monogamous relationship? And I would expect something like that from Noah, but never, NEVER from you," Rachel snapped.

"When you're ready to man up, let me know. But for now, get the HELL out of my life," Rachel yelled at him. Finn bent down to pick up the ring and turned to walk out the door. As it shut behind him, Rachel brushed at her eyes, trying to sweep away the tears she felt welling there. She went to stand by the window, looking out over the city. The apartment was everything she wanted, and now, well now it was going to be a brand new start. A single start she supposed.

"Miss Berry?" Rachel recognized the voice of the real estate agent working for her.

"Yes Mrs. Thompson?" She asked, clearing her throat.

"I was wondering if you had made a decision about this apartment, when Mr. Hudson walked out I assumed you had," the woman said. Rachel smiled graciously.

"You assumed correctly Mrs. Thompson. I'll take the apartment, but post that I'm looking for a roommate. If someone comes by that can afford half this place, just let them know that they can have the guest bedroom and let them in immediately. I'll start moving my stuff in tomorrow, and I'll sign the papers then," Rachel said.

"Very good Miss Berry. I will see you tomorrow,"

"I'll see you later," Rachel said, moving to leave the apartment.

"Just a word of advice Miss Berry, forgive your fiancé," the realtor said with a gentle smile.

"He slept with my competition," Rachel stated simply.

"While he was engaged to me," she finished, her voice flat. She walked towards the door, taking one more glance at the apartment. Yes, a roommate would be a useful distraction. Until she found someone who knew her better, who could really love her and care for her, unlike Finn. She stepped onto the elevator, the scene in the apartment replaying over in her head. This time she couldn't stop the tears from coursing down her face. She hurried out of the lobby of the apartment building so that no one would see her, recognize her, and ask why the little Broadway star was crying. She waved for a taxi and when one stopped she got in.

"Bring me to 950 5th Avenue please," Rachel said. The driver nodded and pulled away from the curb. Rachel couldn't help but worry about what was next for her.

"Here's your destination, ma'am," the cab driver said. Rachel handed him a fifty-dollar bill.

"Keep the change," She said as she hurried inside and got into the elevator. When it got to her floor, she ran down the hall to her room, unlocked the door, slammed it behind her and collapsed in her bed, only pausing to kick the shoes off her feet. She buried her face into the pillow and began to cry, her sobs overtaking her body.

* * *

Puck, 1:00 PM, Starbucks, Time Square

Puck opened the newspaper open to the classified section while he took a sip from his Americano. He ran his finger through the listings, pausing when he thought he saw something interesting. Generally the price was too high. His finger stopped on one entry in particular. It was a penthouse suite rental for four thousand dollars a month. He glanced at the number and pulled his cell phone out of his jeans. He keyed in the digits and held the phone up to his ear.

"Hello, Archstone Apartments, Sandra speaking," a nasal voice on the other line said.

"Hi, my name is Noah Puckerman, I'm inquiring about the penthouse suite that you have listed in the newspaper," he said.

"Oh, that apartment, we actually just got a renter looking for a roommate. As long as you can pay half the rent, you can move in, no questions asked," the lady on the other end said. A slow smile crawled across Puck's face.

"Who's the renter?" Puck asked.

"She prefers to be kept anonymous until you've moved in," the woman said.

"Could I pop by to take a look?" Puck asked.

"Yeah, we have an opening for a viewing right now. How fast do you think you can be here?" The woman, Sandra asked

"I can be there in about ten minutes," Puck said, flagging down a taxi as he said this.

"Alright, see you soon," Sandra said, sounding remarkably perky. Puck hung up the phone and hopped in the cab.

"101 West End Street please," He said. The ride was quick, the city passing by in a blur. Puck couldn't believe he was actually here, in New York, carrying an acceptance letter from Julliard in his duffel bag. He knew Rachel had told him he was talented, but her hadn't actually believed her until the letter came in the mail. His grades weren't great, but that fact that he had been in glee club had helped his chances, offering him an opportunity of a lifetime. He had sent them a demo along with his application, and they accepted him, on a trial basis, with a scholarship for his first year, or until they thought he wasn't taking his education seriously. Puck was amazed that they had even accepted him.

"We've arrived at your destination sir," the driver said. Puck handed him a ten-dollar bill that he wrestled from his pocket.

"Thanks dude," he said, waving good-bye as he walked to the doors. The apartment complex was huge. Almost to the point that it could be called majestic. There was absolutely no way that the apartment was as cheap as it was. The doorman opened the door.

"Thanks," Puck said, his voice hushed. The man nodded, tipping his hat slightly. Puck walked into the lobby, the floors were marble, the walls painted a warm golden yellow, and there was also a reception desk, made of a dark wood. The reception desk looked out of place an apartment building. Puck walked up to the desk, feeling out of place in his grey t-shirt and loose jeans.

"Hi, how can I help you?" A blonde woman asked, plastering a fake smile across her face.

"Hi, I called here about an apartment about ten minutes ago. I talked to someone named Sandra," He said.

"Well, that's me," She said, tossing her hair over her shoulder.

"Right, I'm Noah, I called about looking at the penthouse suite," He said.

"Okay then, if you'll just come with me and I'll give you the grand tour," she said. Puck nodded as she walked around the desk, her high heels clicking on the marble. Puck followed her, catching up easily. The woman began to speak.

"So the Penthouse is not furnished, only the two bedrooms have furniture in them. We've also provided basic appliances in the kitchen, as well as cooking supplies. How you eat and store food here will be discussed with your roommate, as well as furnishing of the apartment. We have cleaning staff for hire, you can hire someone, or you could clean it yourself, though I'm not sure you'd want to. There are two ensuite bathrooms, one in the master bedroom, and one in the other room. Your roommate has asked to stay in the master bedroom. They will be moving in tomorrow. If you do decided to move in, when would be best for you?" Sandra asked, finally stopping the onslaught of words coming from her mouth.

"Um. Wow. That was a lot of information to take in." Puck said, rubbing a hand over his face. Normally he would be more eloquent with his words, especially around a slim, leggy blonde like Sandra, but he was tired, he just wanted to sleep. Sleeping was hard to do when he didn't have a place to live.

"I'd be able to move in today, if that's possible. This duffel bag is all I've got," Puck said. Sandra nodded,

"We've got the forms here, so it'll be easy to get you moved in today. As long as you can pay your half of the rent for the month now, we'll be good to go," Sandra said, her hands flailing around her head. Puck narrowed his eyes thoughtfully at the woman.

"You remind me of someone I knew," he said with a grin. Sandra reminded him of a young Rachel Berry, non-stop talking, everything. He was never truly friends with Rachel, but he still missed her more than he missed girls like Quinn and Santana. Actually, he heard that Santana had been living in New York. If he could find her, he knew where he could go for a quick lay. He winced as he thought that, remembering how he had been in high school.

"So would you like to see the apartment?" Sandra asked, staring at him with her blue eyes, head cocked.

"Um. Yeah, sorry about that," Puck said. He followed Sandra to the door. The young woman slipped the key in the lock and twisted it. With a click, the door opened, and Puck's breath was taken away.

"Holy shit!" He breathed out, his eyes scanning the high ceilings, the natural light from the windows, the hardwood floors. The chandelier was breath taking, and he was a man. He wasn't into interior decorating, but whoever had designed the house had done a damn good job.

"Would you like to see the bedroom and the kitchen?" Sandra asked.

"I don't think I need to. I'll definitely take this. It's probably the best deal I'll get in the city," Puck said, looking around.

"All right, well I'll run down and grab the papers, you stay here and take a look around," Sandra said. Puck nodded mutely. When Sandra left the room, Puck let out a deep sigh, before wandering through the living room. There was a closed door at the end of the hall, Puck assumed it was the master bedroom, so he steered clear, instead entering the bedroom on the right side of the hallway. It wasn't huge, but it was bigger than his old room. The room was cream coloured, like the rest of the house. He would have to check if he was allowed to paint, the colour was not conducive to his concentration or sleep habits. He saw the door leading to the bathroom, and a door to what he assumed was a walk in closet. The furnishings were simple, a small desk in the corner of the room, a bed, with a dark wood bed frame, there were no sheets or blankets, just a mattress. Beside the bed there was a small bedside table made of the same colour wood as the bed frame. The mattress looked so inviting, but Puck had to sign and pay for the place first.

"Hello? I've come back with the forms," Sandra called from the living room. Puck dropped his duffel bag on the floor and walked back out.

"Hey sorry, was just checking out my room. Do you have a pen?" Puck asked. The woman nodded and handed over a clipboard.

"I need you to sign here, here, and here," Sandra said, her slim finger pointing at the blank spaces. Puck picked up the pen and signed along the lines.

"And how will you be paying today?" She asked with a smile.

"Do you take cheques?" Puck asked. Sandra nodded.

"Then I'll be right back with my chequebook," Puck said. Sandra nodded and Puck walked to his room, unzipping his bag and grabbing the black book that sat on the top of all his belongings. He brought it back into the room and filled it out, ripping it off and handing it to Sandra.

"And you are now the half renter of this apartment," Sandra said.

"Here are two keys for you. Your roommate will be moving in tomorrow, so enjoy the peace and quiet while you can," Sandra said with a smile, taking two keys off her key ring and dropping them in Puck's outstretched hand.

"Just call down to the reception desk or come on down if you need anything," Sandra said with a wink. Puck just gave her a weak smile and saw her to the door. When she left, Puck locked the door behind her and wandered back to his room, not bothering to put sheets or a blanket on the bed before he collapsed on it and fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Rachel, 6:00 PM, 950 5th Avenue

Rachel woke to the incessant ringing of her phone. She stumbled out of bed and grabbed the phone off of her dresser.

"What?" She growled into the line.

"Well that's not a very nice way to greet your best friend,"

"Sorry San,"

After both Rachel and Santana had moved to New York, they became friends. The head bitch in charge attitude had been left behind when she left the Cheerios. Santana turned out to be a fantastic writer, and was working on her first novel, after publishing a few short stories and columns in the New York Times. They had found a friend in each other when they had nowhere else to go. As far as she knew, Santana, Finn, and Kurt were the only ones of New Directions that had moved to New York, in fact, Kurt was actually on Broadway with Rachel. Brittany was a very notorious back-up dancer for Britney Spears, and Rachel didn't really know where everyone else had ended up.

"Earth to Berry?" Santana asked

"Ugh. Sorry. This hasn't exactly been a fantastic day," Rachel sighed into the mouthpiece of the phone.

"What's goin' on hun?" Santana asked.

"I broke up with Finn. For good. He cheated on me with Roxanna," Rachel said, grabbing for the glass of water she had placed on her bedside table. She quickly gulped the liquid down and scrubbed at her eyes, waiting for Santana's reply.

"That Sonovabitch!" the Latina girl snapped, her voice cold.

"I know," Rachel let out a long sigh and flopped back down on her bed.

"San, what do I do? I mean this is the first I've been single since…well since Finn and I started dating for good. And I'm twenty-two," Rachel moaned into the phone. Santana scoffed.

"I know exactly what you need to do," her voice was matter-of-fact.

"Really, what's that?" Rachel asked, her mood perking up

"Get laid!" Santana declared as if it was an epiphany given to her from God.

"Santana, how many times are we going to go over this, I don't believe in having sex before…"

"I know, I know, you're being a good Jew. Gosh how do you live without having fun! By fun I mean sex," Santana gave a short laugh.

"Well, for a while Finn was okay with it,"

"Until he cheated on you,"

"Santana," Rachel said warningly.

"What?" The other girl said,

"You're not putting out. He was probably desperate,"

"Santana, that's out of line," Rachel snapped.

"If you have nothing else to say to further damage my ego, I'll hang up and crawl back into bed thank you,"

"Shit. Rach I'm sorry, you know…"

"No filter. I get it. I'm just not in the best mood for no filtering right now," Rachel sighed.

"Well, we're going to fix that. We're going out tonight," Santana yelled into the phone.

"Santana, I'm not really in the mood," Rachel hedged.

"Berry. It's not even an option at this point. You need to get drunk. And laid," Santana said. Rachel could hear screeching and rustling, the typical sounds of hangers.

"Santana, I'm not going out. You don't need to go through your closet," Rachel said, knowing her friend had already won the argument.

"Hun, trust me, you're going out. I'll be over in an hour, be dressed by then," Santana said, before hanging up the phone. Rachel groaned and rolled off of her bed, landing on the floor with a thud. Basically everything was in boxes, including all her clothing. She ripped the tape off of one of her clothing boxes and dug through it. Rachel pulled out an emerald green camisole and skinny jeans, and a pair of black wedge heels. The outfit was simple but fun. She also dug out a long silver link necklace and a black cardigan. Rachel slipped the necklace over her head and draped the cardigan over her arm before sitting, unceremoniously on the floor. Rachel had nothing better to do before Santana came over. She let out a sigh. This would be a long forty-five minutes.

* * *

Puck, 6:30 PM, 101 West End Avenue

"Hey Finn," Puck said into the cell phone nestled between his ear and shoulder as he unpacked his clothes from his bag, glancing over at his guitar. He hadn't played in a while, and he was really feeling that urge right about now.

"Look man, can I tell you something?" Finn asked, his voice urgent from the other side of the phone. Puck raised an eyebrow.

"Sure man, what's up?" He asked, pulling a black v-neck t-shirt out of his pile of clothes and tossing it beside his guitar case on his bed.

"Rach and I broke up," Finn said, his voice flat. Puck mentally cheered, but shook his head. He couldn't do that; he shouldn't be cheering at the fact that his best friend had just broken up with his fiancée. Regardless of how he couldn't stop thinking about said fiancée.

"What happened, man?" Puck asked, as he stretched his shirts onto hangers and stuck them in his closet.

"I kind of cheated on her. With her competition." Finn said sadly. Puck paused to sit on his bed. What the fuck had Finn been thinking? It reminded Puck of his lapse in judgement with Quinn.

"What the hell were you thinking man?" Puck spat into the phone, wincing at how harsh his voice sounded.

"I know Puck, god, I'm such an idiot. It was all because she didn't want to put out. And I was too desperate," Finn mumbled. Puck shook his head. Here was his best friend, who just told him he cheated on the best thing that had happened to him. And was blaming it on her. Puck rubbed his face, he needed to help his friend, but he couldn't help but think about what an idiot Finn was being.

"Look man, let's just go out for drinks and I don't know, sing karaoke or something?" Puck suggested.

"What do you mean? You're still in Lima," Finn asked. Puck could almost hear the other man's confusion over the line.

"I um, I got accepted into Julliard on a trial basis," Puck said.

"Man, that's awesome. Yeah, let's go out for drinks. We could go to like Pulse Karaoke or Planet Rose. I've heard they've got the best karaoke," Finn said, his voice tired.

"Do you need to make reservations?" Puck asked.

"Only for Pulse," Finn responded,

"I'm on the internet checking it out now,"

"Alright, then lets go to Planet Rose," Puck said, taking initiative.

"Yeah, sounds…great. Rach would've loved that," Finn said wistfully.

"Dude, we're going out and getting drunk tonight. I'll meet you there in a bit." Puck said, hanging up the phone. He tossed it on his bed, equal parts pissed off and unhappy for his friend. He wrestled his grey t-shirt over his head and replaced it with the black t-shirt that he had tossed on his bed, before pulling on a black button up shirt over that, leaving it open. He slipped his feet into his black converse and laced them up. Puck left the apartment, locking the door behind him, taking the stairs instead of the elevator; he jogged past Sandra and waved good-bye.

"See you later Sandra, thanks for the help with the apartment," he shouted. The woman smiled and waved back, turning to her paperwork. Puck flagged down a taxi and hopped in.

"Planet Rose please," Puck asked. He was getting used to the idea of New York.

* * *

Santana and Rachel, 7:00, 49 Grove Street

"Gosh, Santana, this is way too classy to meet guys. I'm not about to pour martinis down my throat and drape myself all over boys," Rachel said with a groan.

"Oh gosh, suck it up Berry. Dressed like that I'm pretty sure that guys will be pouring themselves over you," Santana snapped as they sat down at the bar.

"Two martinis, very, very stiff," Santana said to the bartender, turning back to her friend.

"We're not staying here all night anyways. We'll go to karaoke. There's this place one of my co-workers wrote about, it's called Planet Rose or something like that," She said. The bartender slid two martinis onto the counter.

"Just start me a tab, I'll clear it up at the end of the night," Santana said. The man nodded and Santana slid one of the martinis to Rachel.

"Bottoms up, hun," Santana said.

"Luckily, I can write this off as a business expense, because I'm writing a review on this place," she grinned at Rachel, and the girl lifted her martini in toast to her friends brilliance, before pouring the drink down her throat.

"So, does this mean that I can have as many martinis as I want tonight and you're paying for them all?" Rachel asked. Santana nodded and gestured for the bartender to bring them another round.

2 Hours Later

"San, do we reeeallly have to do karaoke?" Rachel drawled out as she attempted to stand. She tripped over the barstool.

"Easy there Berry, and in answer, yes. I want to see you doing drunken karaoke, I want to see if you're as good at singing when you're drunk," Santana said, grabbing her friends arm and helping her outside to the taxi.

"Planet Rose please," Santana said, as she closed the door.

"Santanaaaaa," Rachel whined, brushing her dark hair off of her face.

"What Berry?" Santana asked as she helped her friend out of the cab. Slightly less drunk but no better with her coordination, Rachel tripped over curb. Santana caught the tiny brunette before she fell flat on her face.

"Finn's a jackass," Rachel mumbled into her friend's shoulder, Santana nodded

"I know hun," she said, glancing around the area. No one had seen her friends near mishap. The doors to Planet Rose swung open and a familiar dark-haired male hurried out, staggering slightly.

"Berry, wait here," Santana said, lightly pushing her friend onto a bus bench. Heels echoing against the concrete, Santana followed the dark-haired man.

"Hudson, come here," Santana growled. The man stopped and turned to the Latina.

"You're a fucking idiot. As if you did that to her. I don't want you coming around her at all. Ever! I could expect Puck to cheat before you would, but I guess you proved me wrong. And with her Broadway rival nonetheless! You are so unbelievable," Santana yelled, raising her hand to slap the man. Clumsy as he was when he was drunk, Finn managed to bat Santana's hand down.

"I know. Tell her I'm sorry, and that I'll stay out of her life," Finn said, staring at his feet with a strange fascination.

"Look Finn, I understand that you're hurting. But she is too, and she's always mattered to me more. My best friend always comes first," Santana said gently. Finn nodded and turned away. Santana rushed back, hoping Rachel hadn't seen the exchange. She had hoped in vain; when she was in view of her best friend, she noticed that Rachel hand her head buried in her hands.

"That was Finn wasn't it," Rachel asked.

"Yeah Hun. He said sorry and that he won't bother you anymore," Santana said, helping the tired girl to her feet. Santana led Rachel into the karaoke bar; it was busy and a woman was singing a tone-deaf version of "Don't cha" by the Pussycat Dolls. Santana winced. The girl's voice was shrill in her ears.

"God, this is horrible," Santana muttered.

"I agree. You should get up there and show her up," Rachel said as the duo sat down at the bar.

"One shot of tequila please," Santana said. The bartender nodded, toured the alcohol and slid the shot glass to the Latina.

"Okay Berry. Here's the deal, I'll sing something while you do this shot, and then you have to go sing, okay"

"Okay," Rachel nodded. Santana smirked and strutted up to the area that the karaoke machine was set up.

"Oh, we have a new girl here tonight. New girl, what's your name?" the emcee asked.

"That's for me to know and for you to scream out in bed with me," Santana said with a shrug. The emcee and the crowd laughed.

"Who said I was joking?" Santana smirked.

"So new girl, what are you going to sing for us tonight?" the emcee asked. Santana grabbed the mic, twirled her curly dark hair around her finger and nibbled on her lower lip.

"I'm going to sing Radar by Britney Spears," the girl said, shifting her eyes to the emcee, who gulped visibly.

Puck noticed a sexy Latina girl shamelessly flirting with the emcee and the males in the bar before she began an incredibly sexy rendition of Radar by Britney Spears. She was shimmying and twisting her hips to the beat, knowing she was sexy and relishing in that. Puck swore the voice and the body seemed familiar, but the only Latina he knew was Santana, and he hadn't seen her in ages. Besides, if Santana were there, Rachel would probably be nearby. Finn did say the two girls were best friends. Puck shook his head, grabbing his beer by the neck of the bottle and taking a swig. The Latina woman really was shameless, and now she was dancing with some guy as she finished the song. The man leaned over and whispered in her ear. Puck had to stop himself from laughing. Three years ago, he would've used that same move. He was smarter now, and he was looking for a relationship. He loved having a healthy (okay, over-active) sex life, but he was tired of one-night stands. He watched the movements of the Latina girl again. She had agreed, but she was gesturing off by the bar. Her friend was probably sitting over there, and she was telling the boy who was about to take her home that she had to let her friend know she was going.

Santana smirked as she strutted over to Rachel.

"Hun?" Santana asked, Rachel stared at her friend blankly.

"Hey Berry, you all there?" Santana asked. Rachel shook her head and blinked.

"Sorry, I was kind of out of it there." A slow smile spread across Rachel's face.

"You going to go home with Mr. Sexy there?" She asked. Santana nodded,

"If you're going to be okay," Santana said. Rachel nodded,

"Yeah, I'm just thinking of a song to sing," Rachel said.

"Alright, well you have fun with your little song, have a few more drinks, loosen up, then take a cab home," Santana said, leaning down to give her friend a hug.

"Have fun," Rachel said with an exaggerated wink. Santana tossed her head back and laughed, then walked back to the man who was waiting for her.

Rachel waited until her friend had left before she stood up and walked towards the emcee.

"Hey, we've got two new sexy girls tonight!" the emcee exclaimed,

"And who would you be?" He asked. Rachel smiled and leaned over to talk into the mic.

"If you can't recognize me from the voice, I truly question your belief in culture," She said to the rowdy crowd. A few chuckles broke out.

"Just give us a hint other new girl," the emcee said.

"Does the name Berry ring a bell?" She asked. The emcee raised an eyebrow, but shook his head.

"It will in a minute," Rachel said,

"I'll be singing "Stuttering" by FeFe Dobson," she smirked and grabbed the mic from the emcee, twirling away from him as the music started up.

"There's a whole lot of things that I will forgive

But I just can't take a liar

I was by your side till the very end

Till you pushed me in the fire

I tried to believe you but something is wrong

You won't look in my eyes

Tell me what's going on

It's you and me against the world

That's what you said. That's what you said

If you can't be honest with me, then I'm afraid this is

The end

Hurry up Hurry up

If you ever really cared about me

Tell the truth, give it up...

You sound guilty cause you're stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Now, The seconds turn into minutes now

But you won't give me an answer

You can tell me this, you can tell me that

But don't say you don't remember

Coz I know you better than you know yourself

So don't say I'm crazy, I know very well

It's you and me against the world,

That's what You said, that's what you said

If you can't be honest with me, then I'm afraid this is

The end..

Hurry up, Hurry up

If you ever really cared about me

Tell the truth, give it up

You sound guilty cause you're stuttering

Ohhh...eyyy...Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Ahhhh ahhh ahh.

Don't want to hear you're sorry now

The best thing you can do for me is just spit it out

Ahhh ahhh ahh.

Don't want to hear your sorry now

Stop stop stuttering your words

Its only making you look worse

Hurry up

Hurry up

If you ever really cared about me

Tell the truth

Give it up, you sound guilty

Cause you're stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Keep on stuttering

Ohhh... eyyy... Ohhhhh

Yeah you're stuttering

Keep on stuttering

Ohhh...

Yeah you're stuttering"

Berry. Berry? BERRY! The recognition hit Puck like a tonne of bricks, and his head snapped up to focus on the girl singing an intensely emotional song. Sure enough, fair skin, slightly upturned nose, dark eyes and dark hair cascading down her back in curls. She had learned how to do her brows, and her makeup, and had learned how to dress normally. Actually, a whole of a hell lot better than normally. She was sexy. Rachel Berry oozed sex appeal…he shouldn't be thinking of her that way…she was his best friends ex-fiancée. Puck supposed he would have to ask Finn for permission if he wanted to date her. Whoa. Where had that thought come from. Puck shook his head, his eyes following Berry's movement. Her eyes met his and he turned his head in the other direction. Puck didn't know where the sudden dose of shyness he was feeling had come from (of course he did. He just didn't want to admit it).

Rachel felt eyes watching her through her entire performance, but once she had finished singing, she just wanted to sit down and drink. Singing that song had taken a lot out of her, and now she just wanted to forget. She sat back down at the bar.

"I'll have another shot of tequila please," She asked. The bartender slid the drink to her and she poured it down her throat, the bitter taste burning. She made a face, and then signalled for another one.

Puck watched as Rachel Berry, in a totally un-Berry-like fashion, knocked back drink after drink. Until he saw the bartender shaking his head. He moved closer to hear the conversation.

"Gimme another beer," Rachel slurred, slamming the shot glass down on the bar.

"I'm sorry Miss, I can't do that,"

"Fuck you," She growled

"You've exceeded our drink limit for the night," the man said, rather patiently for talking to a piss-drunk drama queen. Puck couldn't help but smile. So this is why Berry never got drunk, she had a secretly foul mouth. Rachel stood up and attempted to turn on her heel, clutching onto the counter for support. Puck covered his mouth to stop from laughing when Rachel flipped the bartender her middle finger and stormed off. Puck followed her when he saw she could barely keep her balance, using tables and chairs for support.

"Berry, wait up," Puck called. The brunette paused, shoving her hair behind her ears.

"Noah?" she slurred, turning to face him with cloudy eyes.

"That's me Berry, what's got you so screwed up?" Puck asked her, concerned, as he reached his arm out to steady her. Rachel clung to his arm like it was a lifeline.

"He fucking hates me. He's a fucking jackass. He CHEATED on me," Rachel blubbered, falling into Puck's chest. The man wrapped his arms around her as her tiny body shook with sobs against his muscular frame.

"Let's get you home Berry," Puck said.

"Where do you live?" He couldn't get a clear answer; she was too choked by tears.

"Rach, I'm just going to take you to my place, you can go home in the morning, is that okay?" he asked. The girl nodded, and he kept her close to him with one arm while gesturing for a taxi with the other. He helped Rachel in, and she buried her face into his shoulder, promptly falling asleep. Puck chuckled softly. Just his luck. He was going to give up his bed to sleep on the hardwood floor, wrapped in a blanket for the night. The things you did for girls. With his luck, he would have to carry her up to the apartment too. When they finally got to his apartment, Puck got out of the taxi, before gently pulling Rachel into his arms and lifting her out of the cab. He handed the cab driver a fifty.

"Thanks man," Puck said. He looked at Rachel's face. She was almost peaceful in sleep, minus the tear tracks on her face. The doorman pulled open the door and Puck nodded his thanks. Sandra was still sitting at the front desk. She must have been tired; she had been working all day.

"Hey Sandra, see you later," Puck said softly.

"What? Your girlfriend?" the receptionist asked with a grin.

"No, Rachel Berry, famous Broadway star and one of my good friends," Puck said. Sandra raised an eyebrow and nodded. Puck walked past her and pushed the door for the escalator. Luckily he worked out on a regular basis, not that Rachel was heavy, but he had a long way to go to get to his room. Rachel stirred in his arms and he smiled. This was totally reverse of what he was normally doing with a girl. Normally he would sleep with her then pretend to be asleep. But with Rachel, it was different. He struggled to unlock the door to his apartment, closing it behind him. He didn't bother to lock the door; he'd do that after he put Rachel into bed. He walked to his room, and gently placed the drunken girl in bed. He took off her shoes and dropped them on the floor, before pulling the comforter over her slim body. She snuggled in and a small smile spread across her face. Puck went to go grab his extra blanket out of his closet, when Rachel reached out an arm.

"Stay in bed with me," she mumbled.

"Rachel, you'll regret it," Puck said.

"I just need someone to hold me," she said, turning over to see him, her eyes opened sleepily.

"Fine, he sighed, then kicked off his shoes, crawling onto the bed but not under the covers, before draping an arm around the girl's waist and closing his eyes. He breathed in her scent briefly, vanilla and notes of something spicy. A lazy smile spread across his lips. He could get used to this.


	3. Interlude One: Santana's Column

Interlude: Santana's Column

The Adventures of the Best Friend of a Broadway Star

Okay. Let's talk about the only thing that makes Miss Broadway blush. SEX. Sex. It's not that big of a deal; it's only three letters. When I have sex, a guy needs to be able to do three things, know how to do it, know how to keep it up, and know how to make me climax. This may make me sound cheap, but I'll be damned if I care. I don't do relationships.

Then there's Miss Broadway. See, as much as I hate to say it, her relationship with Mr Broadway was doomed for failure from the start. I love Miss Broadway, but the fact that she wouldn't put out leads to one of the reasons that Mr Broadway cheated. So now I guess I can't call him Mr Broadway. So I'll call him Mr Traitor. While I understand Miss Broadway is being a "good Jew" and waiting until she's married, she can't have actually expected Mr Traitor to stay monogamous until they got married. Although they were engaged, and the date was set. And then he cheated. So I guess it is Mr Traitors fault. He had already waited…oh three years or so to get sex from Miss Broadway, he could've waited three more months, then he would've had his virginal Miss Broadway forever and ever! But I call him Mr Traitor for a reason. He didn't wait. So I guess in a roundabout way, I'm saying this is Mr Traitor's fault, not Miss Broadway's. Wow, it took me a long time to get to the point.

Anyhow, I introduce a new character to our cast. You've already met Miss Broadway, Mr Traitor (Ex Mr Broadway), and Mr Diva, plus me, lowly Miss Novelist. Now you're meeting Mr Badass.

Now, before you ask, yes, I did sleep with Mr Badass. And he was a damn good lay. If he ever reads the column and finds out I'm talking about him, he'll smirk. But it's the truth. Moving on. Mr Badass had a thing for Miss Broadway when we all went to school together. Of course, Mr Traitor had been Miss Broadway's boyfriend, and Mr Badass and Mr Traitor were best friends. So Mr Badass never had the chance, not that he was good enough for Miss Broadway at the time. Now, why has Mr Badass come into the picture? Well, I happen to know who Miss Broadway went home with last night.

Let's start at the beginning; Mr Traitor and Miss Broadway were apartment hunting. Mr Broadway became Mr Traitor, and Miss Broadway threw her engagement ring away. Moving on, I call Miss Broadway, and she tells me the whole dirty story. I tell her she needs to get laid. I wasn't joking; Miss Broadway always takes my comments like that as jokes though. So I suggested my second best option, going out on the town. So we do, we go out to a bar, and then to Planet Rose. Because, well, her name should say it all. Miss Broadway can sing. Anyhow, I was gone about twenty minutes into the Planet Rose scene, after a very sexually charged performance of Radar by Britney Spears. I went home to get my wonderful S-E-X.

But before talking about that, let's see how Mr Badass plays into this. I saw Mr Badass the moment I walked into Planet Rose, I knew that Mr Traitor would never go clubbing on his own, so I knew someone was there. Lo and behold, it was Mr Badass, even though I hadn't seen him in years and I had no clue what he was doing in New York. Mr Badass was focused on me throughout the entire performance. He didn't recognize me without the cheerleading uniform on, but I knew he thought I was hot. If he had seen Miss Broadway when he saw me, he would've had a heart attack. Mr Badass was used to a Miss Broadway of the past, who had no fashion sense, used no makeup, and dressed in owl sweaters and plaid skirts. I purposely walked over to her, showing him that she was there, but he never noticed. But Miss Broadway sang, I know that much. And Mr Badass would never forget Miss Broadway's voice.

So maybe my unplanned plan worked. Maybe Miss Broadway did go home with Mr Badass. It's highly likely. Miss Broadway was definitely drunk by the end of the night. Mr Badass would never let Miss Broadway go home alone and drunk, so he probably helped her. Whether he took her to his house or to her house, it doesn't matter. He'd never do anything to her that was out of line.

So maybe I'm helping Miss Broadway. Or maybe I'm just helping her get laid.

Who knows.

I do!


	4. Fake it Until You Make it

**A/N: Well, I hope you were as all blown away by the superbowl Glee episode as I was. I mean they did a fantastic job of "Thriller" and "She's Not There", and Rachel and Puck's version of "Need You Now", OMG. Of course, they had to ruin it by throwing in the bit about Rachel trying to get Finn back. But we can't deny the moment they had when singing it. Or on the football field. SO HAHA. Puckleberry lives on! And without further ado,**

**Thank you to my wonderful reviewers,**

**Also, as another note, sorry if the people that have favourited my story are getting a bunch of emails. I've made a couple minor edits to chapter two, so I've had to do some swapping stuff out and all that jazz. Sorry to raise false hopes. This chapter is for real. **

**And onto the next chapter.**

**

* * *

**

**Fake It Until You Make It**

Rachel opened her eyes and let out a low groan when she did such. Her head was pounding; it felt like there were little dancers stomping around in her brain. It wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"Ah, you're up," a familiar voice whispered from across the room.

"What the hell am I doing here?" Rachel whispered from the bed, covering her face with her hands.

"You would be the type to take me home and take advantage of me," She growled.

"Whoa Berry, do you even know what you're talking about?" Puck asked, shaking his head.

"Oh really? This sounds so typical. You were probably out with Finn. Then you came across me, I collapsed on your shoulder, drunk, and you took me home and fucked me," Rachel said.

"No wait, that's wrong. You took me to a hotel and fucked me, because you don't even own a fucking house," Rachel snapped, attempting to sit up.

"Rachel, really. I may have sex on a regular basis, but I would never, NEVER rape a girl!" Puck snapped.

"And for your information, this is my fucking apartment!"

"Lower your voice," Rachel said, flailing her arm in his direction.

"I'm sorry, I'm out of line in saying that," she groaned.

"Damn right you are," Puck snapped, pushing himself off the doorframe and approaching the prone female.

"I brought you—" Puck trailed off.

"Noah, do you have food?" Rachel asked, her hand flying to her mouth as the smell reached her from across the room. Bile rose in her throat.

"Whoa Berry, you going to be okay?" Puck asked, looking with concern at the female. The brunette shook her head and struggled out of the bed, running through the bathroom door and throwing herself over the toilet. Puck shook his head. The throwing up was the worst part of being absolutely drunk. That and the horrible hangovers. He placed the food on the floor and entered the bathroom, kneeling beside the retching girl and gathering her hair at the nape of her neck with one hand and rubbing her back with the other.

"Go," Rachel said, flailing her arm in the direction of the door.

"Not happening," Puck said with a chuckle. Rachel retched another time, before taking a deep breath.

"I think I should be alright now," She said, sitting up.

"You sure?" Puck asked, his eyes fixing on Rachel's.

"Yeah. Do you have a toothbrush and toothpaste?" She asked, making a face. Puck nodded and stood up to go back into his room, digging around his duffel bag for his spare package of toothbrushes.

"And Advil?" Rachel groaned from the bathroom.

"I'm not a woman Berry, I don't own Advil, I have no use for it," Puck said, tossing the female the toothbrush.

Rachel took a long look at the man in front of her while she brushed her teeth. He had grown up, that much was obvious. His face wasn't so young anymore, and the infernal mohawk he had once grown didn't exist, instead, his hair was extremely short, a look that Rachel found more attractive. His dark eyes were on her, concerned, swimming with some unknown emotion. His body was muscular, more so now than when they were in high school. If he thought he was badass then, he looked more badass now. The girl shook her head with a tiny smile before spitting the toothpaste foam in the sink.

"How much did I drink last night?" She groaned as she gulped a mouthful of cold water from the sink.

"You might want to call Santana and ask her, I was only there for the last ten minutes of the evening when you flipped the bartender off for not serving you anymore alcohol," Puck said with a short laugh.

"Really?" Rachel said, her hand flying up to cover her eyes.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. But why did you take me home?" She asked, collapsing back on the bed.

"It's nothing I haven't seen before Berry, and I took you home because you weren't speaking intelligently, so I wasn't able to understand your speaking," Puck said, placing the bag of food on the bedside table.

"Do you want to eat?" He asked the girl

"What is it?" She asked, eyeing the bag with distrust

"I don't know, some vegan crap that I picked up from a store around here. Some sort of warm veggie type wrap thing," Puck said. Rachel smiled

"Awww, you actually cared!" She crooned.

"Well, lets see, I've got a hung-over Broadway star in my bed, I've got to feed you somehow, and I think you'd be adverse to having eggs, especially since that Jesse St. James incident," Puck said, Rachel laughed.

"And here I had almost forgotten about that! Now hand me the food and no one gets hurt," She said.

Rachel was surprised at how easy it was to bond with Noah. It was weird, she hadn't seen him in years, and now they were sitting like old friends. She knew it wouldn't last long; he was humouring her while she wasn't feeling well, and he would go back to being his perverted self. Plus he was still a womanizer. Once a player, always a player, that's what Santana always told her.

"What time is it?" Rachel asked Puck. The man glanced at his cell phone.

"Twelve o'clock," he said

"Oh shit! I've got to get home, my movers are coming soon," Rachel said, jolting out of the bed and slipping her feet into her shoes.

"What do you mean?" Puck asked

"I'm moving into a new apartment today," she said, grabbing her purse from the nightstand and flying out of the bedroom door. Puck followed her as she skidded to a halt, looking around the living room of the apartment. She whirled to face the man,

"What the hell are you doing in my apartment?" She snapped, glaring at him.

"What do you mean your apartment?" Puck asked, furrowing an eyebrow.

"This is my apartment, I just started renting it. I'm supposed to move in today," she said, her hands on her hips.

"This is my apartment, I paid to rent it as of last night," Puck said, a smirk tilting the corner of his lips. He knew what was going on. Rachel Berry was his roommate. Oh the irony. The prudish girl had no clue what was coming to her (no pun intended).

"You've got to be fucking kidding me. There's got to be a mix-up in rentals! There's no way you can pay four thousand dollars rent a month." Rachel snapped, gnawing on her lower lip.

"Well Berry, we could always make the most out of being roommates," Puck said, sneering at the woman and waggling his eyebrows. Rachel's jaw dropped open as she searched for the words to say. Puck just chuckled,

"What, cat got your tongue?" he asked

"In case you didn't remember, you said you wanted a roommate. At least that's what the woman at the counter said,"

A look of realization flickered across Rachel's face, replaced with a furious glare.

"Okay, here's how this goes, I have my room, and you have yours. I will furnish the place and we'll split on groceries. You don't have any right to bring your fuck buddies home. Now if you'll excuse me, I have stuff to go move into this apartment," She said, her voice tight with barely concealed fury. She spun on her heel and stalked out of the door, slamming it behind her.

Puck laughed. Literally, gut wrenching, peeing your pants laughed. He could not get over the fact that little Miss Berry was his roommate. This could not be anymore perfect then it already was. He shook his head as he turned back to his room, closing the door, and walking to his bathroom. Now was when the fun began.

Rachel stormed up the stairs to her apartment, leading four baffled movers up the stairs behind her.

"This is my apartment," she huffed, throwing the door open.

"Everything that is not in boxes is furniture, I need it all moved," She snapped.

"And where are you moving to?" One of the men dared to ask. Rachel glared at him

"You're moving it to the penthouse suite in Archstone Apartments. Make sure you make the moving as loud as possible. If you steal anything from me, I will murder you. I need to leave now because I have plans. If my stuff is not delivered by five o'clock this evening, I will call your company and complain. I'm a single woman; I really don't have that many things that need to be transferred. Just close the door behind yourselves when you're done," Rachel snapped. The men stared at her blankly, before nodding.

"Good," Rachel said, gathering her hair into a low ponytail and marching out the door. She yanked her cell phone out of her purse and dialled Santana's number.

"Hello? This is Santana, if you're Rachel Berry, start talking now, if you're not, please leave me alone," the sleepy voice groaned from the other end of the phone.

"Santana, Noah Puckerman is my apartment roommate. And I went home with him last night and don't remember anything!" Rachel said, her voice nervous.

"Okay Rach, just give me a minute, I need to put my clothes on. I'll meet you at the Starbucks on me street in fifteen okay. Don't panic. And whatever you do, don't start crying," Santana said, her voice concerned. Rachel nodded, forgetting that it couldn't be heard over the phone.

"Rachel, hun, come on," Santana said, her voice soothing.

"See you there," Rachel said weakly. Santana let out a long sigh of relief.

"All right Berry," the Latina said.

"Bye," Rachel whispered, closing her phone. She walked down the street, staring at the ground. She couldn't remember anything except a rendition of "Stuttering", and getting in a cab with Noah. She tried to blink away the tears that she felt welling in her eyes as she turned onto the street that Santana lived on. The Starbucks was only a few metres away, but that felt like miles. She was overtired and overstressed, and on top of that, had broken up with her fiancé, and consequently moved in with one of the biggest perverts she knew. Today was not her day. She finally got to the Starbucks and saw Santana holding two caramel macchiatos, sitting on a chair on the patio. The Latina set down the drinks and waved at the other girl. Rachel smiled weakly and made her way over to her friend, pulling out a chair and sitting down.

"You cried didn't you?" Santana asked, handing Rachel one of the coffees. Rachel shook her head,

"Almost," she muttered. Santana rolled her eyes and smiled.

"Of course you wouldn't listen to my advice. Now tell me, what's wrong? Why are you over here nearly in tears instead of yelling at the men who are moving everything out of your new apartment?" Santana asked, propping her chin up on her elbow and staring at her friend.

"Noah," Rachel said flatly. Santana sat back in her seat.

"Like Noah, Puck Noah?" Santana asked incredulously, her dark eyes wide. Rachel nodded.

"Okay, now I'm worried. What did Puck do? And what the hell is he doing in New York?" Santana asked.

"I think he moved out here, seeing as he is my new roommate in my new apartment. And what did he do? He took me home from Planet Rose, and I don't remember anything before or after that except for us singing," Rachel said, attempting to keep her temper in check. Santana slammed her hand on the table.

"Okay Rach, I'm going to remove my filter again. I fucked Puck many, many times in high school, but he would never rape someone. He probably took you home to take care of you," Santana said coolly. Rachel looked apologetic,

"I know, that's the same thing he said," she said.

"But I now have to live with him…" Rachel trailed off as she saw an elated grin on Santana's face.

"Why are you smiling?"

"Maybe now you'll finally get laid! You can't live in the same quarters with someone as hot as Puck without anything happening," Santana said with a laugh. Rachel shook her head,

"I don't do one night stands San, you know that," she said dismissively, taking a sip of her coffee, relishing in the warmth and the taste.

"I know Berry," Santana said with a smirk.

"Now what's the real reason you called me for?"

Rachel just looked at her, confused.

"Berry, you don't just call me nearly in tears because you got drunk, slept in some guys bed, and found out you're rooming with him," Santana said, tossing her hair over her shoulder and leaning forward.

"I don't know. I just feel torn up about the Finn thing," Rachel said with a sigh.

"Well no shit Berry, if my fiancé told me he'd been cheating, I'd be pretty torn up too. Not that I'd ever get engaged," Santana said with a laugh, Rachel's lips quirked at the corners.

"Now look at that, we've got a smile!" Santana exclaimed. Rachel shook her head, and looked down at the table, a smile spreading across her lips.

"Now the faster we get you over that stupid ex of yours, the more smiles we get!" Santana said, draping her arm around her friend's shoulders.

"Now lets go for a walk, maybe have a late lunch," Santana said. Rachel nodded and stood up, linking her arm into the Latina's.

"Thanks Santana," Rachel said.

"Hun, it's my job as your best friend to make you happy," the Latina said, pulling her friend into a hug. They walked down the sidewalk, Rachel still amazed by the sights of the city, even though she had lived there for three years. Something still took her breath away.

* * *

**Puck, Archstone Apartments, 2:00 PM**

Puck had been startled by the knock at the door, and he pulled it open.

"Hello?" He asked the three men standing in front of him.

"We were hired by a Miss Berry, we were told this was her new address," one of the men said. Of course. Berry did say she was going to have the place furnished, and it wouldn't make sense for her to go out and buy a bunch of furniture for an apartment at once.

"Yeah, right. Just put it all in the living room," Puck said, gesturing his hand in the general direction.

"I'm sorry, we can't do that sir. You see Miss Berry has given us specific instructions. There are boxes that are labelled, and they each need to be placed in the correct room. Then all the furniture can be unloaded in the living room,"

Puck ran a hand across his face. Of course Berry would make it as complicated as possible. He felt sorry for the men; she had probably threatened them too. That would explain why they were standing just outside of the door, meek smiles across their faces.

"Of course. Well, come in and I'll show you where everything goes," Puck said, leading the three men inside. After a brief tour, Puck went down to help the men move everything. Moving a couch in an elevator was much more difficult than it looked, and it had taken all four of them. But finally the moving job was done.

"So that's everything then?" Puck asked

"There's just the matter of payment, Mr—?" The man trailed off.

"Mr. Puckerman. And I do believe you should be talking to Rachel…I mean Miss Berry about that. She should be home at any minute," Puck said with a smile. The three men stood in an awkward cluster by the door, casting glances at Puck every few minutes. Finally one of the men spoke, at the same time the door swung open and Rachel came barrelling in.

"I assume Miss Berry is your fiancée?" the man asked.

"Hell no!" Rachel and Puck exclaimed at the same time. The man flushed, and ducked his head, obviously unaccustomed to such outbursts.

"Sorry, I need to pay you right? Gosh, I should have paid you before I left my other apartment. I hope you haven't been here long. God knows, we don't have any food, or any place to sit, and Noah here isn't the best at being a host," She said, tossing her dark hair over her shoulder and giving him a triumphant smile.

What the hell was that supposed to mean? Puck pondered this question while he watched Rachel sign a cheque and hand it over to the guys. They all nodded as she thanked them profusely and sent them on their ways.

"You scared them quite nicely Berry," Puck said with a smirk.

"Shut up and help me move the furniture," She snapped, attempting to push the couch across the room.

"Berry, you won't be able to move that. It took four of us just to get it out of the moving van," He said he approached her slowly.

"That's why I was asking you for help!" She growled

"Now if you would stop talking so much, and would instead aid me, this could go much faster, and we could actually have time to relax,"

Puck rolled his eyes and walked to the other end of the couch, lifting it slightly and dragging it. The look that crossed Rachel's face was priceless. Her face lit up, her eyes were sparkling, her smile was brilliant, and something about her had changed at that moment. It was like she thought she was moving the couch all by herself.

"Berry, you know I'm the one doing all the work right?" He asked, raising an eyebrow and looking at the girl. The light left her face and she was frowning again. Maybe it had been better to leave her with her moment of fame within the household, as short as it was.

"So where do you want this?" Puck asked.

"Right…here should be fine," Rachel said, letting go of her end of the couch with no warning. It was weird that someone so tiny was actually able to lift the couch, albeit not very much. Puck would've thought her arms would break off. He smirked at the though, ignoring the fact that Rachel was staring at him, arms crossed over her chest and her tiny foot tapping the ground.

"Noah," She snapped. The man shook his head, jolting himself out of his thoughts.

"What?" He asked

"Well aside from wondering what you find so amusing that you are standing there chuckling at me with a goofy expression on your face, I was wondering if you could relocate all the furniture in the room to the places that direct you to, since you seem to think I'm so incapable" She said with a slight frown. Puck rolled his eyes; of course she would shirk the duty off on him.

"You know, you could just say 'move the furniture for me'," Puck said with a smirk.

"Is that a yes or a no Noah?" She asked, her eyes flashing with annoyance. She couldn't have been that mad yet though, she hadn't referred to him as Puck. She did that when she was really mad, and it hadn't happened yet.

"Sure Berry, I'll move the furniture for you," He said, moving on to a leather chocolate brown winged chair.

"Where do you want this?" He asked.

"Oh, that's my chair. That can just stay there. You can move the coffee table to the middle of the room, and the loveseat and the chair around in, but not too close to the couch," She said, nodding. She closed here eyes for a minute, and Puck took the opportunity to study her. She hadn't changed out of the jeans she had worn the night before, but she did wear a baggy black New York University hoodie. The outfit, combined with her hair pulled into a loose, curly ponytail was nearly irresistible. The outfit was adorable, and still somewhat stylish, the skinny jeans offsetting the hoodie.

"So Rach, did you go to NYU?" He asked as he pulled the loveseat around the coffee table and setting it up directly across from the couch. She shook her head,

"No, I didn't actually go to school," She said. Puck nodded and let the conversation drop. For a while, the only sound that filled the apartment was the moving of furniture. Rachel tipped her head back and let out a deep sigh.

"I have to go unpack my room. We can do the kitchen tomorrow," she said, walking towards her room. Puck nodded and turned back to the living room. Everything had been moved into place and she hadn't commented. His phone rang, the noise loud in the silence.

"Hello?" He said, not recognizing the number.

"Hi Puck," the voice on the other end of the phone definitely jogged his memory.

"Ah, Satan, how are you?" He asked, mock innocently

"I'm wonderful, even more so now that I know you're rooming with my best friend," Santana drawled.

"And how are you,"

"Wait, you and Berry are best friends? And you're happy I'm rooming with her? I'm fine," Puck said distractedly.

"Yes. Yes. And good! What are you doing in New York, Puckerman," Santana asked.

"I got accepted on a trial basis into Julliard," Puck said,

"And I'm working on getting a recording contract,"

"That's fantastic. So here's something for you to consider. Rachel doesn't do one-night stands. And she just broke up with Finn. So be careful with her," Santana said coolly.

"What do you mean?" Puck asked

"You know exactly what I mean. Don't think I didn't see it in high school when you still stared at her after you broke up, or after you sang Need You Now together. You can't fool me Puck. You've had feelings for her for a long time. And now I'm telling you to be careful. And nice," Santana trailed off, and Puck could hear the tapping of a keyboard.

"Right. Duly noted Satan. Anyhow, what are you doing out here in New York?" Puck asked, plopping down on the couch and swinging his legs up onto the piece of furniture.

"I write a column in the New York Times. Don't tell Berry, it's entirely about being best friends with her. Actually it's entirely about her. But that's beside the point. I'm working on a novel too," She said with a smirk.

"Oh, who knew you actually had brains behind that sexually driven exterior," Puck said with a snort.

"Hew, watch that mouth Puckerman," Santana snapped.

"You know, you're nicer than you used to be," Puck said

"It's cause Berry got to me, look, I've got to go, but I'll talk to you later," Santana said.

"Okay, bye," Puck said into the phone as the dial tone sounded. He shook his head. Santana was still as brusque as ever, but she had become nicer.

Rachel pulled her clothes out of her boxes furiously, tossing them into piles, dresses, tank tops, t-shirts, skirts, jeans, shorts. Everything she owned was in piles. Her bed had been made up, her sheets were white, and her comforter was a dark purple. Her pillowcases were white with gold stars on them, still her signature symbol. It wasn't finished, but it was looking more like home. Her books were sitting in boxes by the bookshelf, and a small box of pictures and trinkets was sitting by shelves that Rachel was planning to put up when she got a chance. The organization of her clothes allowed her to think about Puck. He was annoying sure, but he was attractive. He had been hot in high school, but his high school self had nothing on this Puck. He was also less crude, but who knew how long that would last. She didn't even know where he got the money to pay for half the apartment, it's not like he had the opportunity to get rich over the last three years. She shook her head. Her thoughts shouldn't be on a man she hadn't seen in years, her thoughts should be on the man she had been in love with, the man that she had just broken up with.

Rachel tossed her clothes down in aggravation and stood up. She dug through her box of books and picked one out, it was Wicked, how fitting that she would be reading the book that she had recently gained one of the starring roles in. She grabbed the script for the play and padded into the living room, her socked feet making no noise on the hardwood. Puck was sitting on the couch, looking extremely relaxed, his head tipped back and his eyes closed. Rachel smiled as she sat in her chair and curled her legs beneath her, opening the book and beginning to read.

Puck's eyes flickered open when he heard the rustling of pages; Rachel was curled up in the wing-backed chair reading a book. He craned to see the title, Wicked; of course she would be reading something a musical was based on. He laughed softly, but the woman didn't even look up from the pages, so he studied her. Her hair was falling in front of her face, obscuring her eyes from him. One of her fingers was gliding along what Puck assumed was the line she was reading. She reached to the side and she picked up a dog-eared booklet. The title across it was the same as the book, except it looked like a script. He cocked his head and raised an eyebrow, why would she be reading the script.

"Noah, though you may think I'm attractive, I'd appreciate it if you'd stop staring at me while I'm trying to read," She snapped, looking up from her script, her eyes narrowed.

"Why are you reading a script?" Puck asked

"Why are you living in New York?" Rachel retorted.

"Okay, we're going to play it like this then?" Puck asked.

"Look, you may think that you should be the one asking me five thousands questions, but you're wrong. You moved into MY apartment, into MY city, to ME home in a cab, I deserve to be asking you what you're doing here. I haven't seen you in years and suddenly you're in New York, living with me, and going out with my ex-fiancé to help him get over me," Rachel stopped to take a breath, but Puck held up his hand.

"Look Berry, I know okay. I dropped off the face of the planet after we graduated. You can't say I didn't have reason, everyone thought I was going to be a Lima loser,"

"No. Not everyone thought that. I always knew you would succeed Noah. You dropped all contact with us. I even talk to Quinn now. And I mean, look at me and Santana, we're best friends. I never thought you would be a Lima loser, you're too talented," Rachel said, glaring at the man sitting across from her. Puck opened his mouth, and then shut it again.

"Look, Rach, the reason I'm here is because I got accepted into Julliard on a trial basis. That means that if I take my school seriously, I get to stay with a full scholarship. One screw up and I'm out," Puck said, propping his head up on his hand and staring at the floor.

"That's fantastic!" Rachel said, her voice laced with excitement. Puck looked up at her. Her face had lit up again, her eyes bright, her smile huge.

"Thanks," Puck said

"But how did you get in? Your marks were terrible," Rachel asked

"I sent them a demo. Now tell me all about what you're doing now," Puck asked, wanting to divert the topic from himself.

"I'm. I'm…um, I'm playing Elphaba in the Broadway production of Wicked," She said with a shy smile. Puck's jaw dropped, so she had made it to Broadway. He knew it would happen, he just thought it would've taken a few more years.

"Holy shit!" Puck yelled, jumping off the couch and sweeping Rachel into his arms, squeezing her close to him. He ignored the way his heart rate picked up when her face nuzzled into his shoulder.

"Language, Noah," she muttered into his neck.

"Well, it's a bit too exciting not to swear, babe," He said with a laugh as he set her back on the floor.

"That's way to exciting to not celebrate, have you told anyone yet?" He asked. Rachel shook her head,

"Come on Berry, when did you find out?" Puck asked her, staring at her incredulously.  
"I found out yesterday, but there was a bit much on my mind, so I forgot to tell anyone. You know, breaking up with your fiancé does that to you," Rachel said shortly.

"Whoa, sorry Berry. Call Santana, and Kurt, or I don't know, anyone!" Puck said, tossing the girl his phone.

"Noah, I have a phone, I'll grab it. It's too late to go out now though isn't it?" Rachel asked, peeking over her shoulder when she was halfway down the hallway.

"Berry, it's seven o'clock at night, the night doesn't start up for another two hours. Come on, it'll be fun!" Puck said. Rachel rolled her eyes,

"Fine," Rachel said, proceeding to her room and picking up her cell phone. She dialled the familiar number of Santana,

"Hey San," Rachel chirped into the phone,

"What's up?" Santana asked, her voice wary of her friend's excitement.

"Well, we're celebrating the fact that I got the role of Elphaba in Wicked, so meet at my place and we'll go out. I'm calling Kurt, and I'll see if Brittany, Quinn and Sam are available for the evening," Rachel said.

"All right Rachel, I'm liking this mood of yours," Santana said, Rachel could hear her smile over the phone.

"Good," Rachel said, hanging up.

* * *

**A/N: Yet again, I apologize to all the people who have this story on alerts, you've probably got like three or four story alerts about chapters two and three. I apologize, I was working on some stupid formatting issues. But this was a real chapter. **

**Hope you liked the extremely mild Puckleberry-ness. **

**Stay tuned for next chapter, there's going to be a PARTAY!**

**Thanks again to my faithful reviewer.**

**BelladonnaFlames**


	5. There is Nothing You Can Say

**A/N: I was writing a response to a review the other day, and I was freaked out that I sounded bitchy after I wrote the response. So I apologize if my review responses have pissed anyone off. I'm seriously naturally sarcastic, and I respond to every little part of the review, including when people correct me on spelling. Also, I'm Canadian, so my spelling is probs going to be a bit different than those Americans out there, so I apologize.**

**I want to thank my reviewers and the people who favourite my story. I've had a record amount of views in the past two weeks and I'm loving it! So thanks everyone**

**There's Not a Thing You Can Say to Make This Right**

"Rachel Berry, I know you're in there, now get out here and tell us your news!" Kurt yelled through the door, pounding at it with his fist.

"In a minute Kurt! Besides, you haven't told me what your surprise is yet. Go sit with the others in the living room," The brunette yelled through the door. Rachel stared at herself in the bathroom mirror. Her hair was in loose curls, framing her face, her eyes lined lightly with brown liner, and she was wearing a purple strapless dress with a sweetheart neckline and an empire waist. A tiny star pendant hung from a silver chain around her neck. The only thing that looked less than beautiful was the frown that was settled across the woman's features. She leaned against the wall and sank to the floor, burying her face in her knees. She missed the way things used to be, when Finn wasn't being an idiot, but at the same time, she couldn't shake the feeling that there was something more with Noah than simply friendship. Another loud knock sounded at her bedroom door.

"Kurt, what did I say? I'll be out when I'm done getting ready," She yelled back, rolling her eyes.

"It's not Kurt, Diva," Puck's low voice sounded through the door.

"Well I stand by my word, I'll be out when I'm done getting ready," She snapped.

"Look, Berry, I'm coming in, I don't care if you're naked or not," Puck retorted as he shoved the door open, closing it behind him.

"I'm in the bathroom," Rachel said flatly. Puck entered the doorway and leaned against the frame, his hands in his pockets. He settled his gaze on the small brunette.

"You look plenty ready to me," He said. Rachel gave him a weak smile

"Come on Berry, what's wrong?" Puck asked, pushing himself off the frame and going to sit beside the woman.

"It's Finn," She said, tilting her head back against the wall, and turning her face to look at Puck. The man rolled his eyes, of course it was Finn, the man had constantly made Rachel miserable, now would be no different.

"Of course it is," Puck said, raising his eyebrow.

"I don't mean it like that. I mean…I don't think I was in love with him," Rachel said, her hand flying to cover her mouth when she realized what she said. Puck's shoulders stiffened.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well he proposed to me, and I said yes, but only because he was so familiar to me," Rachel said, thinking back to the day when he had asked her to marry him.

* * *

_ "Hey Finn," Rachel said, holding her phone to her ear with her shoulder while she packed up her dance bag._

_ "Hey babe, happy Valentine's day, we should go out for dinner tonight, dress nice. I'll pick you up," the man said awkwardly from the other end of the phone._

_ "Can I know where we're going?" Rachel said playfully, smiling as she slung the bag over her shoulder and walking out of the dance studio, flagging a taxi._

_ "No. I'm keeping it a surprise," Finn said._

_ "Finn, you know I hate surprises, just tell me," Rachel said, narrowing her eyes._

_ "Nice try babe. I'll be by your place at seven," Finn said, hanging up the phone. Rachel rolled her eyes and jammed the phone in her pocket. She'd be damned if he didn't tell her. Where would Finn be taking her that was so secretive? She asked herself, staring out the window. She hurried up to her apartment when her cab stopped, dropping her bag on the floor and making a beeline for her closet. She flipped through her clothes, the hangars screeching against the metal rack. Rachel pulled out a red dress. Strapless and short, with ruching across the front, it was perfect. She tried it on, tossing her hair over her shoulder and pulling a cropped leather jacket over top of it. She slipped her feet into a pair of black Louboutins and looked in a mirror. She smiled, the dress looked incredible, it was the first time she had ever worn it, and she didn't know why. A knock at the door interrupted her preening. She let out a little squeal and walked to the door, pulling it open. _

_ "Hey Finn," She said, a smile spreading across her lips. Her eyes ran up and down her boyfriends form. He was wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and a red tie, and was holding a bouquet of red roses in his hands._

_ "These are for you," He said, thrusting the roses towards her. Rachel buried her face in the flowers and smiled._

_ "Thanks Finn," she said, standing on her tiptoes and pressing a kiss to his lips. _

_ "Come in," Rachel said, grabbing her boyfriend by the tie and pulling him into her apartment, kicking the door shut behind him. She placed the flowers on the counter and turned to Finn, her hands on her hips._

_ "Aren't you supposed to put those in water?" Finn asked, gesturing towards the flowers. Rachel pursed her lips and raised an eyebrow._

_ "Aren't you supposed to tell your girlfriend where you're taking her for Valentine's Day dinner?" She asked coyly. Finn shook his head._

_ "Not happening, Rach," He said, moving clumsily into the kitchen to try and find a vase. Rachel watched with him amusement, her lips quirking up at the corners._

_ "Finn, I'll put them in water," She said, opening the cabinet under the sink and pulling out a heavy crystal vase. She set the vase on the counter, and pulled out a pair of scissors. Picking up the roses and holding them over the sink, she lifted the scissors to the stems._

_ "No! You're going to kill them!" Finn cried. Rachel laughed,_

_ "Finn, this will help them live, and it will help them actually fit in the vase," She said as she cut the stems on an angle. Rachel filled the vase with water and placed the flowers in it gently, arranging them nicely and placing them on the table by the door._

_ "See Finn, they look beautiful," She said, holding her arms out. Finn gravitated towards her, wrapping his arms around her body in a tight hug._

_ "Thank you," She whispered into his suit. _

_ "You're welcome," He said in response. _

_ "But we have to go now," Finn released his girlfriend and grabbed her wrist._

_ "And you ruined the moment," Rachel said, tipping her head back to look at the man. Finn shrugged, and the two made their way down the stairs. Rachel gasped when she saw the limousine idling by the curb._

_ "You didn't?" she said, looking up at her boyfriend, her brown eyes shining. Finn nodded, though dumb, he wasn't incompetent. He did know what his girlfriend liked._

_ "Happy Valentine's Day," he said as he opened the door, offering Rachel his hand and helping her into the limo. When he sat down beside her, Rachel snuggled into his side._

_ "Thanks Finn," She said. But her mind was still wandering elsewhere. The next day was her opening on Broadway. She didn't have a leading role, but she hadn't expected one either, it was her first time on Broadway. _

_ "Finn, I audition tomorrow for Wicked," She said, a smile spreading across her face. _

"_I'm so proud of you Rach," the man said, smiling down at her. _

_ "How's school going?" Rachel asked Finn, turning to look up at him._

_ "Good, practicum has started again. I'm teaching a bunch of little monsters how to sing and play instruments. I really want to teach high school music," Finn said with a laugh._

_ "Don't call them monsters, that makes them sound abhorrent. Children are absolutely adorable," Rachel said. She wanted kids. Three of them to be exact. She wanted to have a bigger family, and she wanted the chance to be a mother even though she was afraid of being a bad mother. Finn rubbed his forehead,_

_ "I don't know, I just don't think of kids the same way that you do," He said. Rachel nodded._

_ "Do you think you'll ever want kids?" She asked. Finn shook his head,_

_ "I don't know," He said defensively. Rachel jerked away from him._

_ "Don't get like that," She said indignantly._

_ "I just wanted to know," She looked at her boyfriend, her brow furrowed. Finn's shoulders were stiff and he was leaning away from her. She knew he had been burned by the Babygate incident in high school, but that was no reason for him to resent her for bringing up kids._

_ "Look, Finn, let's just forget about this. We can talk about this when it's not Valentine's Day," She said. Rachel was always compromising, whenever Finn didn't want to talk about something, she didn't talk about it. Finn turned back to her with a smile, wrapping his arm around her shoulders._

_ "Thanks, babe," He said, leaning down and kissing her lightly on the lips. Rachel smiled uneasily and turned away. The limousine slowed to a stop and Rachel looked out the window. She had heard of the restaurant they were parked in front of. Supposedly the food was fantastic, and according to Santana, they offered a Valentine's Day menu._

_ "Finn, you're taking me to Alouette?" Rachel crooned. Finn smiled and nodded, and his girlfriend launched herself into his arms, squeezing him tightly. Finn laughed and patted her back,_

_ "It's not that big of a deal," he said_

_ "Yes it is! I've wanted to go here for a while!" She squealed. Finn laughed as he opened the door, stepping out before offering his girlfriend his hand and helping her out of the cab. The two walked hand in hand to the restaurant, and Finn held the door open. Rachel giggled as she walked by into the restaurant. Finn followed her, his hand on the small of her back as they approached the Maitre-de._

_ "Hi, I have reservations under the name Hudson," He said, gracing the woman with a smile. She beamed back and grabbed two menus._

_ "Would you like our special Valentine's Day menu?" She chirped. Finn nodded, and she put the regular menus back, grabbing two garishly pink ones instead. _

_ "Right this way please Mr and Mrs. Hudson," She said._

_ "Oh, I'm not his wife," Rachel chimed in hurriedly. The woman looked over her shoulder and smirked at the petite brunette._

_ "Right," the woman said. Rachel looked at Finn in confusion, and the man shrugged his shoulder, evidently as confused as his girlfriend was. They were seated at a small table, a tea light flickering in a beautiful candleholder, and a single rose sitting in a tiny vase of water._

_ "Here's where you're sitting. Your waiter for the evening will be Michelle. Here are your menus. It's sixty dollars per person, and complimentary champagne and strawberries are included, enjoy," she said with a smile, setting down the menus in front of the couple, spinning on her heel and walking away. Finn reached his hand across the table and placed his hand on top of Rachel's tiny one._

_ "Happy Valentine's Day, babe," he said with a smile. Rachel stared at her boyfriend, a fake smile on her lips. Suddenly she didn't feel happy, she didn't want to be here. For some reason, Rachel Berry suddenly felt the urge to be at home, in her apartment, singing along to the Wicked soundtrack. _

_ "Thanks Finn," She whispered, looking down at her menu to avoid what could turn into an awkward conversation. _

_ "I think I'll have the grilled Portobello appetizer, it's nice to see that they have vegetarian friendly food on their Valentine's menu. A lot of people don't have that," Rachel said with tight smile, looking up at Finn. The man had a flash of uncertainty in his eyes before brushing it off with a wide smile._

_ "Of course that's what you'd think about Rach. I think I'll have the lobster bisque," He said. Rachel raised an eyebrow,_

_ "Expanding your horizons? No burger for you tonight?" She said. Finn looked taken aback for a moment, recovering quickly._

_ "Well I want to do the Valentine's Day menu, and there's no burger on it," He said, running his thumb along Rachel's knuckles. _

_ "I know Finn," She said with a smile. It was surprising that Finn ate so much meat in front of her. Though Rachel had incorporated meat into her diet on an irregular basis, she preferred to stick with a vegetarian diet unless it was necessary to eat meat. Finn most definitely ate meat on a regular basis. When they went out for dinner, he normally ordered a burger or a steak, and frequently, Rachel would have to cook two separate meals when they dined together. Finn shook his head,_

_ "You're the one who always eats vegetarian food, speaking of expanding horizons," he laughed shortly. Rachel bit her lip and stared at him,_

_ "So, I don't eat a lot of meat, because the idea of eating meat bothers me, and all of the sudden, I'm not expanding my horizons?" Rachel asked, her voice taking on a hysterical edge. Finn realized his mistake and grimaced._

_ "I didn't mean it like that," He said gently and Rachel rolled her eyes. The waitress interrupted the discussion. _

_ "Hi, I'm Michelle. Happy Valentine's Day. What can I get for your appetizer today?" She asked cheerily._

_ "I'll have the grilled Portobello mushroom appetizer. And can we get some of that complimentary champagne?" Rachel asked with a gracious smile._

_ "For sure, and what can I get for you?" She asked, turning to Finn._

_ "I'll have the lobster bisque please," He asked. Michelle nodded,_

_ "I'll be right back out with your champagne," she said, hurrying off in the direction of the kitchen._

_ "You can try some of mine if I can try some of yours," Finn said to Rachel. The woman nodded, before staring down at her menu, deciding what she wanted for a salad and an entrée. _

_ "Rachel, babe, what's wrong?" he asked._

_ "It's nothing Finn, I'm just feeling kind of tired," She told him. The man squeezed her hand, and for some reason she felt miles away. She didn't want to be here with Finn. She felt lonely in the relationship she was in. _

_ Though touching her chest over top of her shirt had once been Finn's forbidden pleasure, his teen days were over. He no longer just wanted to touch her over her clothes. He had begun to pressure her increasingly about having sex, and the more pressured she felt, the more she pulled herself away from Finn. She hadn't actually seen him in days, using the excuse of practising for her audition for Wicked. It was somewhat true, it was Wicked, the only musical she dreamed of being in aside from being in The West Side Story; her audition had to be damn good in order for her to get the role. The audition process wasn't fun, it was long, and lists wouldn't be posted for months. There were call-backs to go through, new songs to sing, and dances to learn. After the first audition, it turned into a competition, and Rachel enjoyed the idea. It made more time for her, and less time for Finn, less time for his pressures, his forceful personality when they did anything more that kiss chastely. _

_ "Rachel?" Finn asked sharply. The woman jumped and fixed her boyfriend with a loving smile._

_ "Yes Finn?" She asked angelically, pouting her lips._

_ "I was worried for a minute there, you weren't responding. Our champagne is here," He said, holding out the flute to her. The pale amber liquid sparkled in the light. Rachel took the flute, the stem resting delicately in her fingers._

_ "Cheers. To us, to Valentine's Day, and to a successful relationship since high school," Finn said with a smile._

_ "Agreed," Rachel whispered softly, and their glasses clinked gently together. Rachel threw back the liquid in her glass in one swallow, smiling at the bubbly liquid slipped down her throat. Finn looked at her oddly as he sipped from his glass._

_ "Rachel, honestly, is everything alright?" he asked as the brunette woman poured herself another glass of champagne and dropping in a strawberry from the little bowl placed beside the chilled bottle._

_ "Oh, just fine," She said with a smile as she lifted the glass to her lips and took a small sip. She stared at her boyfriend across the table, her dark eyes narrowed, daring him to tell her otherwise. He held up his hands in mock innocence,_

_ "Okay, okay, no need to bite my head off," He said with a grin. Rachel rolled her eyes and set her champagne flute on the table. Her leg began to jiggle beneath the table. The faster the food got here, the faster they had a reason to be involved in an awkward silence. _

_ "I bought candles for my apartment. Those vanilla cupcake flavoured ones you love," He said with a lecherous grin. Rachel rolled her eyes, the smile dropping off her face. Sure she loved the candles, but he should know better to do that, buy something she loved just to attempt to seduce her._

_ "Finn, it's not going to happen," She said, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice._

_ "Come on Rach, it's Valentine's Day," He smirked, thinking the simple mention of the holiday, which Rachel didn't even believe should be considered a holiday, would get her into his bed. _

_ "Whatever, I should probably go home and get some sleep. I need to have plenty of sleep in order for my vocal cords to be up to standard in the morning," Rachel said, grabbing her black clutch and moving to stand up. _

_ "Wait, Rach I'm sorry, I'm being an ass, just sit down and we'll enjoy dinner," Finn said, the look on his face pleading. Rachel rolled her eyes and sat down._

_ "Okay. Not one single mention of it Finn, or I'm gone," Rachel said, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes. Finn nodded solemnly. _

_ The couple ate in silence, stealing glances at one another. Rachel bit her lips as she took slow bites of her entrée. _

_ "Rach, I really am sorry," Finn said, as Rachel set down her fork. _

_ "I know. Drop it," she snapped. _

_ "Oh, I'm sorry, am I interrupting something?" The couple's head whipped around to focus on the waitress._

_ "Actually—"_

_ "Oh, not at all," Rachel said with a smile, placing her hands demurely in her lap. _

_ "Alright, what would you like for desert?" the waitress asked._

_ "We'll both have the chocolate torte, now if you'll excuse me, I have to go to the washroom," Rachel said, standing up. The waitress moved out of the way and Rachel swept past her. _

_ "Are you sure everything is okay, sir" the waitress asked. Finn nodded and pulled out a velvet box._

_ "Can you get the kitchen to place this on the cake?" he asked, a grin slipping across his features._

_ "Proposing?" The waitress asked. _

_ "Of course," Finn responded with a firm nod._

_ "Alright, I'll see what we can do," She said, taking the box and turning towards the kitchen. Finn propped his chin on his fist and watched for his girlfriend._

_ Rachel stared in the mirror, tousling her hair and applying some lip balm. She didn't want to make eye contact with herself. She knew no one else would see it, but her eyes were haunted and lonely. She looked down at the porcelain sink and let out a deep breath before sticking her lip balm back in her purse. She supposed her and Finn's relationship would either go backwards or forwards from here, she just wasn't sure which way she wanted it to go. Shaking her head she looked in the mirror, smiled, and strode out of the bathroom and back to the table. Finn was waiting for her, desert in front of him. He saw her coming and stood up to pull the chair out for her. _

_ "Thank you Finn," She said dismissively, sitting down and looking at the cake. She wasn't prepared for the solitaire diamond winking at her in the light. She turned to her boyfriend._

_ "Finn, what is the meaning of this?" She asked, pulling the ring out of the cake. Finn took it out of her hand and knelt down._

_ "Rachel Barbra Berry, will you marry me?" He asked, smiling at her. She hesitated, weighing the pros and cons in her mind. Her life would only get busier from here. If she broke up with Finn, she probably wouldn't have the chance to meet another man for a very long time. If she wanted to get married, now was the time to do it, even if she wasn't sure about the man she was marrying._

_ "Yes Finn Hudson, I will marry you," She said with a smile, offering her hand to her fiancé. He slipped the ring on and stood up, pulling her close to him and giving her a deep kiss. _

_ "Thank god you said yes," Finn said with a sigh. Rachel through her head back and laughed. She may not have agreed to his proposal for all the right reasons, but at least she would have someone who would love her. Finn sat down across from her again and picked up his fork, digging into his slice of cake. Rachel watched him curiously, before picking up her own fork and taking a bite of the cake._

_

* * *

_

"Wait, so you married him more out of convenience than the fact that you loved him?" Puck said, shaking his head and trying to wrap his mind around the concept.

"Don't EVER doubt my feelings for Finn. I loved him, I was just concerned about the future. I may have rashly agreed to a marriage that I wasn't fully invested in, but I loved him." She snapped, shoving her hair back from her face and violently tugging on a strand of it. Puck's hand settled on hers, stopping her. Rachel gasped softly; the feel of his skin on hers was surprising. It was warm and calloused, but quite gentle.

"Stop worrying, Berry," Puck's voice was low, and his eyes fixed on Rachel's. He looked entirely serious.

"I can't help it," she said, her voice laced in frustration. She ran her hands through her hair and tugged.

"I just don't know what to do anymore. It's just so insane! I was supposed to be married and now I'm not even engaged anymore. I'm rooming with an old somewhat friend from high school, and I've got the lead role in a Broadway musical. I'm already losing more sleep!" She said. Puck grabbed her chin and forced her to look at him. His hazel eyes were narrowed and his mouth set in a thin line.

"Rachel Berry, listen to me! You are talented; you don't need a man who will cheat on you to get you by. You can get by on raw talent and a stage smile on your face. What you're going through right now may not be ideal, but you'll get through it. You always do," He said. Rachel smiled at him.

"You're right," She said, releasing her fingers from her hair, and dropping them to her side.

"Damn right I am," he said, pushing himself up onto his feet and offering his hand to Rachel. The girl accepted his hand and he pulled her up and into a hug.

"Berry, we may not always get along, but I do know you better than you think," he said with a grin. Rachel nodded against his shoulder and he released her.

"Now come on, Kurt brought along a surprise for you," Puck said. The two walked hand in hand out of Rachel's room.

"AHAH!" Santana yelled when the two were within view.

"I knew you'd get some of the Puckerman loving," she said.

"Santana, shut up!" Puck snapped. The Latina just laughed.

"Hey Kurt, where's this surprise you brought for me?"

"Girl, turn around," Rachel recognized the voice of a certain diva.

"Mercedes," She squealed as she turned around, her arms open. The two girls embraced.

"What are you doing here Mercedes?" Rachel asked with a smile.

"And it's good to see you too, Miss Broadway," the girl said.

"It's great to see you, I'm just so confused to see you here again!" Rachel said, a huge smile spreading across her face.

"Well actually, I'm here for the release of my C.D." Mercedes said. Rachel's eyes widened.

"You got a recording contract?" Rachel asked. The other girl nodded.

"Okay, so that's enough catching up. Mercedes has now told you her news. What's yours Broadway?" Kurt asked, pushing between the two girls. Puck chuckled at the other mans response.

"Yeah Broadway, what's your news?" Santana interjected, tossing her hair over her shoulder and leaning forward, her elbows on her knees, her chin propped up in her hands.

"Okay, is everyone listening?" Rachel asked, planting her hands on her hips and looking at the four other people in the room.

"Yes Berry, we're standing here in complete suspense," Puck said with, rolling his eyes.

"Okay. Everyone, I have been graced with the role of Elphaba in Wicked," She said, smiling brilliantly.

"Oh my gosh, Broadway, I can't believe it!" Mercedes exclaimed, pulling the girl into a hug.

"I know," Rachel squealed.

"Geez Rach, you could've told me earlier," Santana said,

"I am your best friend.

"Oh shut up. There were a lot of things on my mind over the last few days," Rachel said as she bounced on her toes.

"Well, this calls for a celebration. Stat." Kurt said, slipping an arm around Rachel's shoulders.

"We're going out! Cabs are waiting outside!" Santana exclaimed, linking her arm through Rachel's.

The crew skipped down the hallway to the elevator, laughing and chattering all the way down to the main floor.

**A/N: I need to stop writing two of these. Anyhow, I thought we needed a bit more of a tender chapter, more to learn about what happened with Rachel and Finn. It didn't take the direction I wanted it to, but there's some fun coming up. And then some more hilarious Santana. I hope…if the darn story decides to cooperate.**

**Love you all**

**BelladonnaFlames**


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